Worldly Sofa Table from Old Sideboard

There was a lot of major damage to the top of it so I sanded that down to the bare wood. The rest of the piece got a light sand - just enough to give the paint something to grip. Then I washed it all down with a mix of water and TSP (a degreaser).

After a bit of waffling, I decided to just go ahead and paint it Martha Stewart Plumage because a) I liked the color and b) I had nearly a full quart of it at hand. I can always repaint it if I tire of the shade but I've been really digging teal lately so I jumped in. On it went. (No, I didn't prime. Maybe I should have but I figured I could get away without it.)

For the very observant you will notice Im painting right in my living room over a nest of old newspaper. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.

It was looking good but I wanted to add a little more. A little gold paint would help tie it to some of the other metallic elements in the room. Out came the overhead projecter to help me draw a world map on the top.

Turns out I couldn't quite fit the whole world on there but you get the picture. Not navigation ready but I think it adds a fun texture to the piece. If I have somehow missed your hometown island or misrepresented your favorite peninsula, I am truly sorry.

The final touches were a little gold to the legs and a very thin coat on the hardware to bring out some shine. It still needs a top coat but I'm waiting for the whole thing to cure before I touch it again.

I'm loving the color and how it turned out but clearly I need to add this shade of blue into other parts of the room. Anyone have any fabric recommendations that has some of this shade in it? I'm having a hard time finding some.

Lots more to do in here before I feel its 'complete; but for now I'm feeling accomplished. What do you think?

Gorgeous! I'm sure you have a bunch of pissed off Aussie readers, but it was worth it :) I was in JoAnn fabrics the other day after a long search through 3 other fabric stores and found exactly what I was looking for. Maybe try there. Lots of fun geometric fabrics at mine.

I absolutely LOVE the colour... and the addition of that map on the top is just perfect. I'll be tackling an old dresser for our nursery soon and I'm trying to come up with something fun to paint on it aside from just making it one colour...

This is a great color. I really love the world motif on the top. How creative and inventive. Im not sure what you currently have in your home, but you could try frame pieces of fabrics that have the blue color and adding prints to the top of them. Ive used that technique quite a few times. Keep us updated on the progress.

BAM!!! Love it! The "worldly" part is so you since you guys travel often! I'm still trying to find a fabric that works with mine. I'm just going to add 2 Chiang Mai dragon pillows to my sofa! Not sure if they will work in your space, but I've been craving some of that fabric for years!

So lovely! I liked the unexpected touch of glitz. It seems perfect for you since you enjoy traveling the world. I have a couple of pieces of furniture with sentimental value that I'm considering sanding and painting/staining and this has definitely inspired me ... how much time would you recommend setting aside, say, to sand and refinish a small side table?

great job!! It really looks fabulous! I loved painted furniture! Here is a link for Joann.com online fabrics...I think it would look great as an accent pillow. http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?CATID=cat2143&PRODID=xprd943938

Love this piece - great job! I love painted furniture. Here is a link for a fabric I think may work nicely from Joann.com. http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?CATID=cat2143&PRODID=xprd943938

Love it! I have a nightstand project in mind, and that color might be just the ticket (I was going to use a sky blue milk paint, but I'm reconsidering.

For fabric, you might want to check out Alexander Henry's Fulham Road collection -- Oxford Butterfly in Blue would look gorgeous (I really want a yard of Regent Peacock in Indigo for my LR but I can't find it in stock ANYWHERE).

Absolutely stunning! Bravo, Mrs. L., bravo. What grade sandpaper did you use for sanding? I'm wanting to paint some furniture but have never attempted it except on bare wood and don't want to find it peeling in the future.

Wow! Beautiful! I would have never thought about using the overhead projector or add something to the top. Makes it so much more interesting and feels whimsical, yet still serious in shape. Really nice!

I have similar chest drawer/sofa table (what ever you called it) Bought in Manhattan flea market a long time ago. It has yellow finish but really it is more like cream color because of too much of sun exposure. When saw this project posted by Centsational Girl ; I fell in love all over again with that piece and this is such an inspiration. Thank you...ohh by the way we are about to moving in to a new house, so this drawer project will be a make over for me in the new house. Thank you to you and Centsational Girl for posting this ! It is really beautiful....!!!

Looks awesome! How about this fabric? Seems to have colors that work in that room. http://www.calicocorners.com/product/designer+fabrics+for+the+home/shop+fabrics+by+color/aqua+and+teal+fabric/pabo+seafoam.do

Love, love, love how this turned out. The gold world map is genius! It pulls in the gold from your chandelier. Sorry no ideas about fabric for the rest of the room. But I do think this piece turned out super special.

I think it's gorgeous and I'll def be painting my armoire plummage now!! Thanks for the test run! :)I don't have any blue in that exact shade in my living room, but it looks great with the lighter shades I do have.

I love the gold with the teal! Have you considered marking all the places you have been on the map?

My kitchen island and the inside of my dining room hutch are painted almost that same exact color (although I used a historic paint color). I just made valances with the fabric below that has teal in it (although it is probably not right for your house). Fabric.com had several nice fabrics that I considered.

the one I used in my Victorian:http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-designer-home-decor-fabric-premier-prints-home-decor-fabric-premier-prints-geometric-abstract-fabric-premier-prints-elizabeth-chocolate-natural.aspx?cm_vc=756b1813-cbc1-43b3-84bd-29889bf8fb7b

Perhaps you should check Ikea. I just did a search on the site, and there were 66 pages of gorgeous and affordable fabrics (tons with your blue included!). Hope that helps! Love the dresser, by the way.

Love the gold accents with the teal! I used almost the same color on my kitchen island and built in dining room hutch. I just made window valances with a fabric with a teal accent. It probably isn't quite right for your house but here are a few I looked at.

I used this one for our victorian home:http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-designer-home-decor-fabric-premier-prints-home-decor-fabric-premier-prints-geometric-abstract-fabric-premier-prints-elizabeth-chocolate-natural.aspx?cm_vc=756b1813-cbc1-43b3-84bd-29889bf8fb7b

LOVE the color you chose- I think it looks perfect in that room and really will be awesome with some extra touches of that blue in pillows. I also think the extra gold handles were a great touch as it picks up that bit of sparkle in the room that keeps things from looking too drab. Personally, I wouldn't have done the map on top, but it does add another layer to the room, and again, I think that the room needs soom sparkle. Keep working on this room- I love seeing each new addition!!!

Holy crap this is like the BEST DIY project I've seen anywhere! Its not even like a DIY project, it looks like something from a fancy store that cost thousands- LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!! I think I might have to re-blog about it- you know with the wedding coming up I need lots of things to keep my readers busy and this is amazing!

I'm glad to see that you went bold with the color it came out great! I also enjoy the touch of gold on the top with the map. This is so funny that you posted/have this particular sideboard, I have the EXACT same one! I was just talking to my husband the other day about how much I hate it and want to paint it! So, thank you for the inspiration. I'll have to post a picture when I get around to painting mine to get your feedback.

Absolutely Stunning!!! You are so very creative, please, keep giving me inspiration! We are currently saving for our dream vintage home (in the South)! Reading your blog reminds me of why we are sacrificing so much for our dream.Warmest Regards,Elizabeth of LizzieLuxeVintage.etsy.com

I have the identical dining room set that I grew up with and inherited. It is by Drexel Heritage and my mother bought it in the 50's. It's fruitwood and I have been too timid to paint it as you have. It looks great...what was your inspiration for color/design? The table and sideboard both need some love and I've been struggling what to do with them.

Hi Joi - thanks. The sputnik light fixture came from ebay. Just do a search and you'll find one seller that has a ton of them. (He also has brass ones which I love but just didn't work for my bathroom)

Nope, no additive. (Didn't even know there was such a thing). I used a roller for most of it but a brush for the parts a roller can't get to. You can't see any brush strokes on the blue part.

The gold has a lot of texture from the brush - thats just how that gold paint works. I think it adds to the interest but I wouldn't even know how to get that gold paint smooth short of using a sprayer.

Hey- this might be a silly question, but seeing as you painted this piece in your house, how did you keep your cat from jumping on it/messing it up? My younger cat is on my furniture everyday, so I always paint stuff in my garage, but sometimes it is a pain to bring things down and then back up the stairs. The piece looks beautiful and I love the peacock and gold combo! -Anna

Its not a silly question but I dont have any suggestions really. My cat jumps on everything but for whatever reason, he doesn't jump on anything that has just been painted. I assume he doesn't like the smell? He'll hang around me when Im painting so I keep an eye out then but when its drying, he doesn't really want to be on it.

Hi! I am enjoying your blog - especially your DIY projects. I love this sideboard into a worldy sofa table. I have a blog - mainly dealing with decorative painting projects - and I have found that when I am working outside my home a lot, my blog suffers. But then I later have a lot to blog about - with lots of before and after projects. How do you manage and organize your time? You, like me, are not an organiized person by nature. I have to learn to come up with some simpler DIY projects - so it fills up the blog (while waiting for me to finish the larger projects I have going).

Love your ideas and I love the way you write. I have to come and scour some of the places you mention in Brooklyn. I live on Long Island - so not a bad drive to your lovely borough.That could be a blogpost for me as well.

Thanks for reading Linda. I may not be very organized with my things (my closet can attest to that!) but I'm very organized with my time. I work full time so I have to have a plan for my 'free' time. That said, I blog about my life - so I don't really do projects JUST for the blog. I figure if its not something I would use or want, there isn't much point in bothering to post about it. Thats why you'll see sometimes I have more projects going on during one point in the year than another.

It looks beautiful! great work, the colour of blue and gold, along with the other parts of the room it just looks amazing. I was wondering what brand of gold paint did you use? and did you seal it with a primer?

This is fabulous! I LOVE it. The map is interesting and original. I am getting ready to paint two old pieces so like Lia, I am wondering what type or brand of paint you used. Also was it like a "satin" finish?

Gorgeous. Aside from the dresser (which is great), what a lovely apartment! Lots of character. I LOVE the floors. And are those pocket doors? Nice moldings and not painting to the ceiling really make the color pop. Great Job!

Gorgeous. Aside from the dresser (which is great), what a lovely apartment! Lots of character. I LOVE the floors. And are those pocket doors? Nice moldings and not painting to the ceiling really make the color pop. Great Job!